this is real life.

arriba. 

california dreamin'.

this past weekend, i headed to LA for a wedding... turns out, my weekend was filled with much more than just work!

my california adventure began in hermosa beach.

the cute bell family were kind enough to let me stay with them for the weekend in their adorable little beach house.

i got to spend an evening with darling maddi; she is one of the most genuinely kind people i know, and i loved having the chance to reconnect with her!

we headed to the famous promenade and santa monica pier to enjoy dinner and a nice little stroll.

we reminisced about our times in spain, learned a little bit more about forrest gump, witnessed a really "awesome" beyonce cover concert (and then some), & caught up on each other's lives.

in case you're in need of a little pick me up,

bubba gumps + a santa monica sunset + a good friend

will definitely do the trick!

thanks, maddi & eric! i owe you 489372x over.

beachin' it.

there is something so calming about the ocean (or in this case, sea).

after a long day of touring museums in barcelona, i was about ready to sleep for 8372 years.

but, we made a great decision and headed to the beach for a bit.

we met up with some friends from our group, avoided the nude-y hombre pondering life (while giggling incessantly, like eight-year olds, mind you), snapped some photos, & simply relaxed.

deeefinitely reenergizing.

though my illness tainted my view of barcelona,

i realized that the fact that you can take a metro right to the beach makes it infinitely cooler.

and i'm thinking i'll need to go back... when i'm not so sicky.

care to join me?

also, contrary to what the fourth image displays, i am not seven months pregnant. i just chose an extremely flattering pose... you'd think i'm a photographer or something?

seaside blues.

so i must admit,

ever since our trip to valencia a few weeks ago,

i've been craving another trip to the mediterranean.

we spent three lovely hours at the beach when we were in valencia--

avoiding the desnudos, splashing in the water, and getting a little bit of a tan.

the water was close to perfect temperature,

and i was prettty content.

speaking of oceans, i've been attempting to expand my palate a bit here in spain.

meaning, i actually eat the seafood paella and salmon when it is placed before me... usually...

that being said, i just didn't have it in me to eat the tuna salad i was given tonight.

so now i've gotta figure out how to discretely get rid of it... any suggestions?

fish are friends, not food.